Bill Gates Admits Dropping Out Of Harvard For Microsoft Was One Of His Regrets

Bill Gates, who left Harvard at 20 to become Microsoft's first CEO in 1975, recently expressed regret over quitting college, reflecting on the enriching experience he had there. In his memoir Source Code , Gates shared that he often considered returning to complete his degree, fondly recalling Harvard's intellectually stimulating environment. My upcoming memoir Source Code is all about the lessons and experiences that laid the foundation for everything in my life that followed.

https://t.co/BMN4gIsnnY — Bill Gates (@BillGates) June 4, 2024 He loved exploring diverse subjects like psychology, economics, and history, and valued the deep conversations with smart peers. Despite his monumental success at Microsoft, Gates admitted to missing the academic and social atmosphere that Harvard provided.



ALSO SEE: "Completely Scrambled My Brain": Anti-Ageing Millionaire Bryan Johnson's Horse Tranquilizer Injection Backfires He told CNBC Make It, “I enjoyed Harvard. I enjoyed the classes, including some that I just sat in on: psychology, economics, history courses. I loved having smart people around.

We could sit and talk late into the night about very interesting things.” Gates was compelled to make a decision when a technological breakthrough presented an opportunity that he and his Microsoft co-founder, high school friend Paul Allen, needed to act on quickly, or risk losing it to competitors. “Card playing taught me that no matter how complex or even mysterious something seems, you often can figure it out.

The world can be understood.” Bill Gates in Source Code..

— Diganta Sircar (@diganta_sircar) February 18, 2025 In high school, Gates and Allen foresaw that microprocessors would eventually revolutionize computing by making large, expensive machines smaller and more affordable for the masses. However, they believed the technology wasn't ready yet. That changed in 1974 when Allen excitedly rushed into Gates's room with the latest issue of Popular Electronics, featuring the Altair 8800, the "world’s first minicomputer kit" built by Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems (MITS).

Realizing the potential, Gates and Allen knew that if they could develop software for the Altair, they could lead a new industry—provided they acted fast. For two years, Gates struggled to balance running Microsoft while continuing his studies, even trying to convince his friend and early Microsoft programmer, Ric Weiland, to take over so he could finish his degree. However, Weiland left for graduate school, and Gates realized no one could lead the company with the intensity it required.

Ultimately, Gates decided to leave school for good and focus on Microsoft full-time. He remained CEO until 2000, during which time Microsoft transformed the computer industry and made both Gates and co-founder Paul Allen billionaires. Today, Microsoft is valued at over $3 trillion.

Earlier this year, Gates’s former applied mathematics professor, Harry Lewis, admitted to having his own regret. “I wasn’t surprised when he dropped out," Lewis said. "I just wish I’d invested in him.

” Lewis, who has been teaching at Harvard since the 1970s, recalled Gates as “mature” beyond his years. Even at 20, Gates frequently questioned adults and eagerly took on difficult problems. “He always wanted a challenge,” Lewis told The Times of London.

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